Ross

I've been teaching and coaching math and robotics for more than 10 years, in conjunction with over 20 years of programming and software QA. I love helping people find new ways of looking at problems to reveal solutions. My aptitude for math, programming and robotics stems from my true passion for music, especially music theory. I find that I'm not alone - that many of my technical colleagues share my musical leanings. Let me help you look at those tricky problems differently!

Ask, don't tell. Students don't really learn until they start to ask questions. The teacher's task is to stimulate their thinking to get them to ask the questions that are important to the learning at hand.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Ask about what they want to learn and what their reason for taking the class is.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

Get them to ask the right questions, then to explore how they would answer them.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

Relate the learning to their own goals.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

Express the concept in different terms. Exercise different examples.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

Simplify the words used to express the concepts, define and simplify the overall meaning, and then build up the nuances of the concept.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

To find out about the student personally, to pull out their goals and objectives, and ultimately their motivation.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

Ask questions about the student's motivating factors that apply to the subject, or create concrete, real world examples that can be understood through application of the subject.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

Challenge the student with problems that can be solved by application of the lessons.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Providing achievable challenges, giving them steps that they can complete with the application of a bit more creative thought.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

Critical assessment of their problem solving process as expressed through the language of the lessons.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

Through personal assessment of the student, what s/he relates to, and measured growth and progress to tutoring applied to date.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

Exercises and problems, hands on materials if appropriate. For example, when teaching ratios, gears or pulleys could be appropriate, or levers and lifting a weight.

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